…The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house - his hands shall
also finish it… (Zechariah 4:9)

Bible Correspondence Course - Lesson 2

WORLD PEACE – COMING IN OUR TIME!

The search for world peace continues while arsenals of weapons grow larger. Experts
predict the earth will soon become an incinerated relic – UNLESS world conditions
are dramatically REVERSED. What does the future hold for mankind?

WORLD leaders and scientists are frankly frightened by the prospects of the future! They warn that man now possesses the means of committing
COSMOCIDE – suicide of the whole human race – and even talk in terms of “overkill.” They realize something
totally unforeseen must soon occur to stop the present trend of world events – or humanity will finally DESTROY itself!

Martin Co. Photo

POISED FOR DESTRUCTION: Hundreds of nuclear-tipped missiles are hidden in concrete silos beneath U.S. soil
- poised and ready for almost instantaneous launching!

What Statesmen and Scientists Warn

In 1961 the late U.S. President John F. Kennedy warned a hushed United Nations Assembly:
“Mankind must put an end to war – or war will put an end to mankind...

“Today,” he said, “every inhabitant of this planet must contemplate the day when this
planet may no longer be habitable... The mere existence of modern weapons -- 10 MILLION
TIMES more powerful than any that the world has ever seen, and only minutes away from any target on earth – is a source of horror...

“Together,” said President Kennedy grimly, “we shall save our planet – or together we shall perish in its flames" (emphasis ours throughout lesson).

What President Kennedy told the United Nations in 1961 was not the ranting of a wild-eyed
fanatic, but is the day-to-day reality of the world in which we live. Today, the estimated number of stockpiled nuclear
bombs is already enough to wipe out the world's population many times over!

Former U.N. Secretary-General U Thant once warned: “I do not wish to seem overdramatic,
but I can only conclude from the information that is available to me as Secretary-General,
that the members of the United Nations have perhaps 10 years left in which to subordinate their ancient quarrels and launch a global partnership to
curb the arms race, to improve the human environment, to defuse the population explosion,
and to supply the required momentum to world development efforts.”

Scientists are also very concerned that the days of man's existence are numbered.
Dr. George Kistiakowsky, former head of the explosives division of the Manhattan Project
(which produced the atom bomb) and one of the world's most knowledgeable scientists
on nuclear weapons, made this frightening statement: “Given the present geopolitical
trends and the quality of political leaders that burden mankind, it would be a miracle
if no nuclear warheads were exploded in anger before the end of this century, and
only a bit smaller miracle if that did not lead to a nuclear holocaust.”

Many other world-renowned statesmen and scientists, too numerous to quote in this
lesson, speak fearfully of the END OF THE WORLD – the END of human civilization!

But the Arms Race Continues

In spite of these terrifying, imagination-defying facts, the arms race continues to
escalate toward nuclear insanity!

One example is “MIRV,” which stands for “Multiple Independently Targeted Reentry Vehicle.”
Instead of one missile carrying one warhead, the Soviets and Americans have developed
and deployed missiles which carry many warheads. One such MIRV can do the same job as could 10-14 missiles previously.
With MIRV alone, the U.S. is capable of destroying the Soviet Union many times over! And, of course, Russian MIRVs could similarly “overkill” the United States of America!

Staggering, but a fact nevertheless!

The arms race is also spreading to outer space. The Soviets have developed a “killer
satellite” capable of blowing up American early warning satellites. But what is there
to prevent the design of satellites capable of carrying hydrogen-bomb warheads and
dropping them on preselected targets? Politicians and military experts generally agree
that whoever gains military control of space will be able to rule the world!

Many other bizarre, frightening weapons are in various stages of development. These
include the pure fusion weapon (a “clean” H-bomb), the neutron bomb, and the laser
bomb. Scientists say any of these weapons theoretically has enough destructive potential
to annihilate all life on earth!

It sounds incredible, but it's true! And the record of history proves that every weapon
man has ever developed was eventually used!

Keystone photo agency Photo

BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS POTENTIAL: For safety reasons this technician works through special gloves at a culture vessel
containing experimental strains of deadly bacteria. This Microbiological Research
Establishment at Porton Down, England, is one of many throughout the world which could
easily produce biological weapons.

Chemical and Biological Warfare

Nuclear warfare is only one of many ways that could bring about the total destruction
of mankind. Though the subject has been given little publicity over the years, some
nations are now producing new super-weapons which may be even deadlier than nuclear
bombs! A number of nations, including the U.S. and U.S.S.R., already have a chemical and biological warfare potential.

Tens of thousands of gallons of deadly nerve gas – odorless, tasteless and virtually
invisible – have already been manufactured and stored. One drop, inhaled, or applied to the skin, can kill instantly!

Speaking about biological warfare, Dr. Barry Commoner, director of Washington University's
Center for the Biology of Natural Systems, warned that chemical and biological agents
make nuclear weapons “look like a child's toy.”

Weapons of a chemical or biological nature are far less expensive to produce than
complicated nuclear weapons.

But a huge question mark hangs over the advisability of using biological weapons on
an enemy nation. The best-informed scientists are afraid that an all-out biological
war might result in worldwide epidemics!

Only one thing is certain. No one can predict what actually would happen, because
such biological weapons have never been (nor can they ever be) adequately tested until
they are actually used on the battlefield!

Wide World Photos

AIR, WATER POLLUTION: York City under a dense blanket of smog. At right is South Platte River northeast
of Denver, Colorado-one of hundreds of polluted streams and rivers in the United States.
Environmental pollution is a growing threat to human survival!

Can Man-made Plagues Be Controlled?

Scientists are faced with the grim question of whether or not a man-made plague could
be controlled, once started, since full-scale testing is impossible. Dr. Commoner
asserted that even natural epidemics are poorly understood, and that we can rarely predict how fast they will spread, or how many people will be affected.

Moreover, in biological warfare, he warned it is likely that the infectious agents
will not be those which occur in natural epidemics, but special variants selected
or modified in the laboratory. In this case it would be nearly impossible to be confident about the actual course of an artificial epidemic, once it started.
It might fizzle out, or it might spread so unexpectedly as to engulf friend and foe alike!

A biological warfare experiment which aptly illustrates Dr. Commoner's fears took
place during World War II.

Britain conducted limited biological weapons tests as early as 1941, when there was
widespread fear that the Axis Powers might use germ warfare. In one test, Gruinard,
a remote island off the northwest coast of Scotland, was sprayed with anthrax bacteria.
The targets were sheep, which soon became infected and died. But the anthrax bacteria
were so durable that the isle is still unsafe for people today! It is expected to remain that way for at least another 100 years!

Because of the grave doubts arising from such experiments, some observers ominously
conclude that “to initiate the use of plague or anthrax, diseases that can kill more
than 90 percent of their victims, would be to set in motion a DOOMSDAY MACHINE on
the planet...” (Seymore M. Hersh, New York Times Magazine, Aug. 25, 1968).

Other Global Crises

There are yet several other global crises which could contribute to the utter destruction
of mankind in the not-too-distant future.

Human life can only be sustained by air, water and food. But man is polluting and
poisoning all three of these necessities. Air pollution is now recognized as a growing international menace – one which not only threatens the health of man, but seriously affects the
continued existence of all life.

Water pollution is another massive threat. For example, most U.S. rivers and lakes are so seriously polluted that supplies of drinkable water
in many places have reached a CRISIS STAGE! Now, increasingly, it is being found that pollution
is also seeping into underground water supplies. A study by the U.S. Public Health
Service indicates that millions of people in the United States are drinking water that is unfit for human consumption

Man is infamous for depleting and ruining the soil out of which his food must grow.
More recently, he has vastly speeded up the process by using artificial fertilizers,
which actually defeat their very purpose by locking up other soil elements, thereby robbing vegetables,
grains and fruits of the life-sustaining minerals and vitamins so necessary for good
health.

Modern man also uses poisonous insecticides, which not only exterminate insects, but
also many helpful forms of life in the soil and air. Insecticides also enter the ecological
web of life and threaten the extinction of birds and mammals. Even man himself is
potentially in danger!

Other potential dangers to life are the host of inadequately tested rodenticides,
fumicides, herbicides, flavor enhancers and artificial preservatives. Scientists fear
that these and other products of our modern society could cause irrevocable damage
to succeeding generations.

Add to these urgent problems the worldwide revolution in the weather – droughts, floods
and earthquakes – and epidemics of disease. And then there is the growing threat of
the POPULATION EXPLOSION!

“Population Bomb” a Threat to Human Survival

Many leading scientists have warned that the greatest single crisis facing the world
is the population explosion.

Although this explosive growth of the world's population has slowed somewhat within
the last decade, it is still an unsettling fact that the sheer numbers are still increasing
at the same time that fewer and fewer nations are self-sufficient in food production.
Just six countries are the major food exporters to the rest of the world community.
If one or more of these exporter countries should experience serious shortfalls in
food production as a result of bad weather or other unforeseen factors lasting several
years, millions will go hungry and vast numbers will starve to death!

Population experts reveal that if present trends continue, the earth's population
will number over six billion people by the year 2000! How will they be fed?

Needed: “A Strong Hand From Someplace”

An accurate appraisal of MAN'S ONLY HOPE for survival appeared in a leading U.S. news
magazine a number of years ago. It indicated that among government officials the
view is gaining acceptance that tensions and world problems are fast becoming too
deep-seated to be solved except “by a strong hand from someplace.”

That strong hand is coming – but from a source most people least expect! The prophet
Isaiah reveals that source in your Bible: “Behold, the LORD GOD will come with STRONG HAND, and his arm shall rule for him…" (Isa. 40:10).

Your Bible shows there IS HOPE! The great God of your Bible says He is going to send
Jesus Christ again – this time to SAVE us from ourselves and to establish the government
of God on earth! He will not allow the misguided scientific genius of man to destroy all life on this planet!

The sad state of our world was prophesied and written in advance. Over 1,900 years
ago, the greatest “newscaster” the world has ever known foretold today's chaotic world conditions! He foresaw today's scientific discoveries and
technological advancements, and the outcome of it all.

This famous newscaster knew that men would produce the destructive forces that now threaten cosmocide! He warned:
“And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved [ALIVE – Moffatt]" (Mark 13:20).

This great newscaster was Jesus Christ of Nazareth – the same Jesus who is coming
again to intervene at the last moment to save humanity from extinction. What He prophesied
has been written in your Bible all these centuries. No other book is as up to date
as your Bible!

Jesus Christ prophesied today's world conditions in vivid language. He foretold the
wars, famines, disease epidemics and natural disasters that are now occurring increasingly
before our very eyes! Scientists and world leaders – most of whom know little of
Bible prophecy, and even reject the Bible – readily admit that events He prophesied
are taking place right now!

For some time influential people have been using biblical terminology to describe
current world conditions. Notice what a few have said:

Dr. Binay Sen, former director of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization said,
“If the rate of food production cannot be significantly increased, we must be prepared
for the four horsemen of the Apocalypse.”

Robert S. McNamara, former president of the World Bank: “We have to see the population
problem as part… of a much wider social and political crisis that grows deeper with
each decade and threatens to round off this century with years of unrest and turbulence,
a 'time of troubles' [emphasis ours] during which the forces of historical change threaten our frail twentieth-century
society with disintegration.”

Barbara Ward and René Dubos, research writers: “When we consider the planet's still-increasing
population, we may even wonder whether the traditional figure of the harvester may
not be turning before our eyes into that other image of the man with the scythe –
the archetypal image of Death itself.”

Prophecy Is for TODAY!

But some will still object, “There have always been 'prophets of doom.' People thought the world was coming to an end in the Middle Ages when the black death struck Europe.”

These skeptics simply do not understand God's timetable of prophecy. The end of man's rule must, and will, come as God has scheduled it. Though some had ignorantly thought otherwise, the
end of man's rule was not due in the Middle Ages.

We need to understand that every prophecy has a definite time setting – usually not in the prophet's own day. Most prophecies of the Bible are yet to be fulfilled and
are for our time!

Jesus taught that there is a timetable of prophecy – that certain specific events must occur in the months and years ahead
before He returns to rescue humanity from annihilation. Let's begin to understand these
prophecies. Let's learn exactly what the world's greatest newscaster foretold for
this “end-time” generation!

But before we begin, be sure you have your Bible in front of you. You should turn
to all the scripture references given in answer to the questions we will ask – and
carefully read them. PROVE the truth of God for yourself in your Bible!

To derive the most benefit from your studies, it is advisable (though not required)
to also write these verses down on paper and file them in a notebook so you can readily
review the material at any time.